we've got the details. and we are just a few hours away from the macy's. thanksgiving day parade right here on nbc. >> announcer: this is "early today" for thursday, november 22nd, 2012. and a very happy thanksgiving to you. i'm veronica de la cruz. the smoke-filled skies over the gaza strip are clear this morning after a cease-fire between israel and hamas went into effect just hours ago. thousands of people in gaza poured into the streets to celebrate the cease-fire. nbc's martin fletcher joins us live from tel aviv, israel, with those details. martin, good morning. >> reporter: hi, veronica, good morning. the cease-fire went into effect 9:00 in the evening last night. that's 17 hours ago. and so far, so good. there were two early this morning sirens in the south of israel, warning sirens of rockets. turned out, they were just false alarms, though, so it is holding for the time being.

and also, the israeli army has just given orders about an hour or two ago for the first of the army reserve soldiers that it called up for a possible ground invasion of gaza. 30,000 reserve soldiers were called up. the first of those have been given orders now that they can return to their homes and to their jobs, and at the same time, they're keeping others on duty because there's still a great amount of skepticism about whether the cease-fire will hold. they hope that it will, of course, but some skepticism, so much so, for instance, that the schools of the area, all schools have been closed within a 40-kilometer distance of gaza for the last week. all of the kids staying at home, many of them went to the north of the country for safety. those schools are still closed again, because no one's completely sure that this cease-fire will hold. last night, israel's defense minute instead, emud barak, said he was sure that the cease-fire would be honored, but based on experience, it could be a short-term cease-fire.

so, there were great celebrations in gaza last night, thousands of people in the streets shooting guns into the air, congratulations, press conferences, decorations of victory. in israel, however, no sense of anything to celebrate at all. veronica? >> nbc's martin fletcher in israel this morning. martin, thank you. u.n. ambassador susan rice speaks out for the first time since calling the deadly consulate attack in benghazi spontaneous six days after the result. rice said she relied solely on information from the intelligence community. and she reacted to criticism from senator john mccain. >> i have great respect for senator john mccain and his service to his country. i always have and i always will. i do think that some of the statements he's made about me have been unfounded, but i look forward to having the opportunity at the appropriate time to discuss all of this with him. and to new york now where thanksgiving day is already under way. nbc's jay gray is live for us along the parade route of the 86th annual macy's thanksgiving day parade. it is now sunny outside, jay.

how's the weather? >> reporter: it's beautiful. it's going to be a beautiful day here in new york. it's going to be a great parade. the excitement is building. in fact, take a look behind me. you can see all the energy that's going on here and some of the balloon teams already here on the ground. the kermit the frog balloon team, the hello kitty balloon team behind me getting ready to work those balloons through the streets of new york. and as you push past them and through the balloons, you can see the nets still over them, but they'll be coming off in the next couple of hours here, and we'll really see this parade start to get under way. moving back down the street along central park west here, and you can see the clouds have also made their way out to the parade route. 900 clowns, i'm told, thereby a part of this parade. i don't know if this includes all of us reporters in the media, because there's a ton of us as well. and you can see the floats are in place here, 40 floats lining the streets here, and they'll be a part of this parade. there will be one special float this year, one honoring those first responders to superstorm sandy. as you know, it affected this

area so dramatically. that's the latest from here in new york. now back to you, veronica. >> all right, jay gray. have fun out there. thanks so much. and now for a look at your holiday weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. you know, it just looked gorgeous out there, but what about the rest of the country? >> not bad. >> good! >> i mean, a lot better in a lot of spots. yesterday was a rough day in the northwest, rain and windy conditions, and we had the horrible fog around chicago and st. louis, where dozens upon dozens of flights were canceled and seriously delayed. now we're getting a break in the northwest. it kind of stopped raining as we went throughout the day yesterday, in most cases. we get a very short-lived break, then it looks like we're going to sneak in thanksgiving here dry. one storm has just exited. that's the big one we were dealing with. and this next storm, just a huge one, but thankfully, it heads mostly to the north. on the warm front, there is a little rain off the shore, but with the storm direction, the warm front's going to lift to the north and looks like it will spare the northwest. you will probably have the clouds, but no wet weather with

the rain. looking good. the rainfall shows the rainfall just off the coast, so if you're heading north up into british columbia, southern vancouver, you may get a little bit of rain there, but later tonight into tomorrow, that storm system, the cold front will kick through. it will bring rain from portland to seattle, so you will have wet weather tonight into tomorrow. and only the highest of elevations will get some snow once again. doesn't look like a big snow system. overall, this is much needed and appreciated compared to the wet weather we've had lately. that's a lookcall them seasonab this time of year. black friday shopping forecast less than ideal. i'll tell you who has to worry about it, coming up. >> really? luckily, we're indoors, so, it's okay. >> but people have to wait in lines out in that stuff. >> that's true, that's true.

coming up next, did a crucial piece of evidence in the casey anthony murder trial get overlooked? plus, a new report on what disgraced cia director david petraeus is planning to do next. you're watching "early today."

hey. there. welcome back. here are some stories making news this morning. "the new york times" reports that former cia director david petraeus is fighting off cabin fever after his november 9th resignation. friends say he is considering teaching posts at four universities and publishing proposals, possible speaking or corporate board offers, and he has not ruled out a job as a television analyst. the indianapolis explosion that killed two people is forcing the demolition of about 30 homes in the surrounding neighborhood. police are still investigating the november 10th blast. new evidence shows that someone in casey anthony's house did a computer search for the term "fool-proof suffocation" on the day 2-year-old caylee anthony died, but it was misspelled with an "i," and

prosecutors never knew about it. casey anthony was acquitted of her daughter's murder in 2011. president obama, his wife and daughters spent part of the night before thanksgiving handing out sweet potatoes, carrots and other food to people in need at the capital area food bank in washington, d.c. and earlier in the day, president obama's daughters helped in the traditional pardon for the official white house thanksgiving turkey. after the president's re-election, he joked that life is all about second chances, and this november, "i couldn't agree more." in a new study out, sweden suggests that teens and adults with attention deficit disorder are four to seven times more likely that be others to break the law. the study published in the new england journal of medicine also found that the use of adhd medication into adulthood might also help curb crime. markets left off on a high note before closing for today's holiday. the dow close at the 12,836 after gaining 48 points. the s&p was up three and the nasdaq added nine.

heading overseas now, the nikkei shot up 144 points, while the hang seng climbed 218. hostess has made their last twinkies and loaves of wonder bread. the company whose products date back to the late 1800s has received permission to sell off its brands putting more than 18,000 workers in the unemployment line on thanksgiving eve. on a brighter note, home improvement retailer lowe's handed out 22,000 thanksgiving dinners to new york and new jersey families impacted by hurricane sandy. meanwhile, demonstratored protested outside and inside a walmart in oakland, california. similar protests are planned at over 1,000 walmart stores across the country, due to ongoing labor disputes. and the company's decision to open this evening for early black friday shopping. speaking of black friday, bargain hunters, beware. the "wall street journal" and a price data firm warned that many of the advertised door-buster deals that have been available

at lower prices at other times of the year. more shopping caution comes from nationwide insurance which reports 13% of auto accidents take place in parking lots. and finally, if you are feeding a crowd today, a shopping cart like this one, take a look, this just might come in handy. the 12-foot-long, 9-foot-tall four-wheeler is built more like a race car, complete with a steering wheel, brake pedals and it actually has a chevy small-block 350 engine, believe it or not. representative jesse jackson jr. resigns from congress. race car's danica patrick splits from her husband. and this ex-"price is right" model gets $8.5 million in damages. we're going to have your headlines straight ahead. everyone in alaska's thankful their heaters are working. frigid cold there and rain for black friday in the northwest. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

and other stories making news this morning in america. folks in the midwest dealt with white-out conditions on the busiest travel day of the year. no, we're not talking snow, we're talking this stuff. thick, dense fog. at least 500 flights were grounded or delayed in chicago alone. in new york's busy penn station train service came to a screeching halt due to electrical problems threatening thousands of holiday commuters. in los angeles, one of the nation's busiest freeways came to a stand still.

traffic on the 405 backed up, creating a virtual parking lot of headlights and brake lights illuminating the highway as far as the eye can see. and to miami, carnival cruise line celebrates the arrival of its newest ship, "the breeze," by welcoming on board a 55-foot-high, 1,200-pound nylon turkey. there he is. carnival is also presenting a charitable donations in south florida. on to maine. a pair of tv news anchors dropped a bomb on viewers last night. >> and finally tonight, this will be tony and my final show together here on abc 7. >> cindy michaels and tony. consiglio hug after surprising viewers and colleagues by quitting on air, later citing frustration with their management. the reverend jesse jackson says his family is feeling a great sense of pain after his son, jesse jackson jr., resigned from office yesterday. jackson had been away from work for nearly six months while

seeking help for mental health issues. but as nbc's kelly o'donnell reports, jackson still faces other challenges. >> reporter: a once promising political career is officially over with an end marked by a sad spiral of illness and legal troubles. jesse jackson jr., the 47-year-old son of the famed civil rights leader gave up his seat in congress after 17 years. in a resignation letter to house speaker john boehner writing in part, "my health issues and treatment regimen have become incompatible with service in the house of representatives." jackson has been hospitalized on and off since june for treatment of bipolar disorder, seen here while a patient at the mayo clinic. cook county officials are weighing options for a special election to replace jackson. >> i think he feels that district needs somebody in a healthier position than he is to represent them. >> reporter: his letter makes some striking admissions about his own, "mistakes." jackson has been in talks with

the justice department, as federal prosecutors examine whether he misused campaign money to buy personal items, including an expensive watch. jackson writes, "i am doing my best to address the situation responsibly, cooperate with the investigators and accept responsibility for my mistakes, for they are my mistakes and mine alone." jackson adds, "i pray that i will be remembered for what i did right." >> that was nbc's kelly o'donnell reporting there. just ahead, we have got your gridiron guide, for those of you spending thanksgiving between the dinner table and the couch. plus, danica patrick's future takes a major turn.

welcome back on this thanksgiving morning. our friends in alaska will be shivering, hopefully sit in a nice warm house with a fireplace. it's very cold still from anchorage back to fairbanks and not bad in june you, but there is a chill in the air. at least it will be sunny. for the south, nice in honolulu, mostly sunny skies. a few showers around hilo and la hui, but overall, hit-and-miss showers, won't ruin your day. in the west, we're gorgeous the next two days. in the southwest, california, nevada, arizona, to the northwest, we sneak in one nice day today with dry weather. and then tomorrow, it looks like that next front will be swinging on through, get a little windy and also a little wet for your friday, primarily in the morning. >> very nice. all right. they need the rain. >> we'll take it. >> they need the rain, right? all right, now to sports. we start with two nba overtime games.

first atlanta's kyle korver hit a long three-pointer with less than 2 seconds on the clock to lead the hawks over washington 101-100. and the thunder's russell westbrook hit a fading jumper, there he goes, off the clippers, and oklahoma city beat los angeles 117-111. in college basketball, fourth-ranked michigan made a second half comeback at the nit semifinals. the wolverines beat pittsburgh. to advance to the championship game. and then, the moment you've all been waiting for. i know bill has. he's sitting here champing at the bit. >> trying to figure out how to spend time with my family, too, at the same time. >> oh, you'll be fine. they're all going to be watching, too. >> yeah, right. >> this is the thanksgiving triple-header we're talking about, starting with the houston texans at the detroit lions at 12:30 eastern. then there's the washington redskins at the dallas cowboys at 4:25 eastern, and then bill's game, the prime timeline-up between the new england patriots and the new york jets at 8:20

right here on nbc. >> i'll be watching and very tired tomorrow morning. >> absolutely. a former model for "the price is right" just won the ultimate showcase. brandi cochran was awarded $8.5 million in a wrongful termination case against the show's producers. cook ran cochran who worked on the show for seven years, was fired when she tried to return to work after maternity leave. nascar driver danica patrick announced her divorce on facebook and received an astounding response. her wall post has over 7,500 likes. it also has support and a few marriage proposals. queen elizabeth made oscar winner kate winslet a commander of the most excellent order of the british empire on wednesday, and yes, that is the full title. winslet had this to say about her majesty. >> she asked me if i like the job that i do, and i told her that i loved it, but not as much as i love being a mother, and she said, oh, yes, well, that is the only job. and i thought that was really, really touching. finally, "the tonight show"

had a little thanksgiving fun with a brand-new game. >> i'm going to show you a photo. you have to guess whether it's the neck of an old geezer or -- >> oh, man! >> -- a turkey neck. ♪ >> all right. how many say turkey? take a look. oh, there we go. u.s. troops in afghanistan didn't let the distance get in the way of their turkey day. trading in camouflage for athletic jerseys, soldiers in kabul got away from the daily routine to get into a game of american football. after working up an appetite outside, the troops sat down together to enjoy a festive thanksgiving dinner on the base and exchanged well wishes with their families back home. definitely have to thank the troops. >> yeah, with the time change, you know, across that region of the country, it's their

thanksgiving dinner is right now in a lot of areas there, a lot of our troops, so wish them the best. >> absolutely. we definitely salute them. i'm veronica de la cruz. this is "early today," just the first stop of your day today on your nbc station.

in mexico, one artist's new exhibit comes from a different inspiration, her closet. the wardrobe of late mexican painter frida kallio was put on

display. collo was known for her style incorporating textiles that represented her culture. the garments on display are rotated every five months and were previously kept out of the public view. well, paris is living up to its reputation as the city of light. german actress diane koover had the magic touch as she turned on the lights of france's world-renowned shopping boulevard to watch 200 trees illuminate with l.e.d. lights. the glimmering display will light each night until january 10th. gorgeous, right? gorgeous. >> insane. >> beautiful. let's go now to new york city, where victims of hurricane sandy were shown some holiday hospitality. new york governor andrew cuomo joined volunteers to help deliver more than 3,000 turkey dinners to those in need in breezy point. while in manhattan, hundreds of first responders and red cross workers were also served up a thanksgiving meal from the city's top chef.

are you ready? >> i am. it's time to get the turkey on. >> it is time. ooimz looking forward to some pumpkin pie, you know? >> that's not bad. apple pie's my favorite. >> i've been craving it. >> a la mode. now to a somber note. it was 49 years ago today that president john f. kennedy was assassinated in dallas, a day in which television played an unprecedented role in reporting a historic national tragedy. here is the very moment nbc news made the announcement when anchorman chet hutley was interrupted by his colleague, bill ryan. >> franklin delano roosevelt -- >> excuse me, here is a news flash. two priests who are with president kennedy say he is dead of bullet wounds. there is no further confirmation but this is what we have on a flash basis from "associated press." two priests in dallas who were with president kennedy say he is dead of bullet wounds. there is no further confirmation. this is the only word we have indicating the president may, in fact, have lost his life. >> a look back in time there.

all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. matt, savannah, al, they all preview the holiday festivities -- >> that's al. >> is that, right there? no. they're going to be showing us what's happening down at the macy's thanksgiving day parade. also, celebrity chefs northa stewart and giada talk turkey with last-minute tips for the thanksgiving feast. and now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports, and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early

new this morning, thanksgiving thursday becomes the new black friday. hundreds camp out overnight to get their hands